Means for practicing tipping of basketballs



June 7, 1955 11B. CARROLL F MEANS FOR PRACTICING TIPPING OF BASKETBALLSFiled Dec. 19, 195

INVENTOR fiezzms l1 l'm'mll ATTORNEY United States Patent MEANS FORPRACTICING TIPPING 0F BASKETBALLS Dennis B. Carroll, Jasper, Ga.

Application December 19, 1951, Serial No. 262,389

3 Claims. (Cl. 273-1.5)

The present invention pertains to a means of drilling or practicing theart of tipping a ball into the goalbasket of the game of basket-ball.

As is most generally known, the game of basket-ball is universallyplayed and many games are won by goals scored by players, at or underthe basket, tipping the ball into the basket. Tipping is accomplished bya player stationed near the goal-basket and who, with the fingers of oneor both hands, while jumping, meets a ball that has bounced oil of theback-board of the goal or off of the rim or ring of the basket thuscausing the ball to drop into the basket and scoring a goal. Tipping ina goal is distinguished from tossing or throwing a goal where the ballis actually tossed or thrown into the basket and tipping is usuallyperformed when a ball so tossed or thrown has missed the basket androlls ofi the rim or ring of the basket without falling through thebasket or rebounds from the back-board without touching the basket.Tipping the ball is, therefore, an important play in basket-ball; but,many players never become eflicient at tipping in goals because of thedifiiculties existing in present methods of drilling or teaching it andbecause it is very difficult for players to acquire and maintain thefeel, that a good player must have, in order to tip in goals where thedrill or practice is interrupted by the ball dropping through the basketor by the ball not dropping repeatedly to proper tipping positions.

The aim and object of the present invention is to provide a method ofdrilling for practicing tipping the ball to make basket-ball goals sothat the practicing of the act of tipping can be a continuous actionback and forth from one player to another grouped about and under thebasket-ball goal basket as the ball rolls oif the basket or reboundsfrom the back-board and without the ball falling through the basket,should a proper tip-in shot be made, and without having to stoop toretrieve the ball after it has passed through the basket.

The invention further resides in the apparatus employed in conjunctionwith the basket for accomplishing the aim and object above mentioned. Tocarry out the present invention, the usual and conventional goal basketof a basket-ball game (comprising a rigid ring of a diameter larger thanthe ball employed and having a horizontal attachment bracket and havingdepending circumferentially from the ring a netted sleeve) is providedwith a removable cover or lid which closes the aperture of the ring.Therefore, the invention resides in all that is herein shown anddescribed and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment of theinvention as now devised and used and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a basket-ball goal basket equipped withthe present invention and supported in the usual manner in front of aback-board and illustrating the manner in which players may practicetipping-in basket-ball goals in practice play or drill:

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the basket-ball goal 2,710,189 PatentedJune 7, 1955 ice equipped with the present invention as shown in Figure1;

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the removable cover or lid for the goalbasket; and

Figure 4 is a fragmental horizontal sectional view taken substantiallyon line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings in which like characters refer tosimilar like parts throughout the several views, G represents the goalbasket of a basket-ball game supported in position in front of aback-board or stop S and at a suitable level above the playing-floor Fas is customary. The goal basket may be of the usual and conventionalconstruction which consists of a horizontally disposed rigid ring 10, ofsuitable material, of a diameter larger than that of the basket-ball Bemployed and which, at one point in its circumference, has outwardlyprojecting from it a bracket 11 suitably secured as at 12 to the loweredge portion of the back-board S as illustrated in Fig. 1. Dependingcircumferentially from the ring 10 is an inverted frusto-conical sleeve13 usually composed of a net-like corded material, said sleeve beingopen at both ends so that a ball B may drop through the basketvertically on to the playing-floor F. It will be observed that theback-stop is so positioned and is of such area that a ball thrown,tossed or tipped toward the basket, but not dropping through the basket,may hit the back-board and rebound therefromsometimes going into thebasket, other times striking the ring of the basket or rebounding fromthe back-board exteriorly of the basket and without touching it. Thepresent invention resides in the improvement of providing a removablecover or lid 14 which will fill, or substantially fill, the area on theupper side of the ring 10 at the mouth of the basket and which is to beemployed only during practice of tipping the ball B into the goal basketG.

The lid or cover 14 may be made of plywood, fibreboard, plastic materialor metal or any other suitable material and is disc-like tosubstantially fill the area between the confines of the ring 10. Inorder to hold the disc-lik lid or cover 14 removably in position on thering, the underside of said cover 14 is provided at its peripheralportion with clip members 15 which may engage over the ring and soformed as to releasably hold The clips 15 may take the form the cover 14in position. as shown in the drawings, as one example, which compriseflat strips of rigid material arranged radially of the cover on itsunderside and projecting beyond the circumferential edge thereof for adistance whereby said strips will engage the upper surface of the ring.These strips 15, at their point of engagement with the ring 10,

may be bent upon themselves to form inverted U-shaped channels whichreceive and straddle the ring 10 so as to 9 center the cover 14 inposition on the ring 15). At least two of these strips 15 are providedwith straight strips 15 of similar material which lie on their undersurface and in contiguous relation thereto, each of these strips 15being pivotally held in position by a thumb-nut 16 threaded on a bolt 17which extends through the topsurface of the lid 14 and through openingsin the strips 15 and 15 The outer end of each of the strips 15 underliesthe channeled end of strip 15 so as to close the same and to clamp thesame about the ring 10 as shown in Fig. 4. The strips 15 may be securedto the cover 14 in any suitable manner such as by screws or rivets orthe like 18. The under-side of the cover 14 may be further reinforcedagainst warping or buckling by at least one batten strip 19 similarlysecured to the cover 14.

It will be observed that all of the rivets or bolts or other fastenersmay be flush with the upper surface of the cover 14 so as to offer noobstruction that may deflect the ball rolling thereover. It will also beobserved from Figs. 1 and 4 that the relationship of the clips 15 andthe upper surface of the cover 14 is such that said upper surface ismaintained slightly above the ring 10, when the cover is positioned inplace on said ring, this distance being not more than: about Ms butsufficient to enable the.

ball to roll ofi of said upper surface and over thering withoutobstruction or difficulty. It will also be further observed that thecover may be applied and removed with facility by tightening orloosening the nuts 16 and by swinging the clamping strips 15 to one sideout of align ment with the ring 10, or conversely. The cover 14 may beattached to or removed fromthe basket G in less than one minute of time.

In .drilling or teachingplayers to tip the ball into a goal-basket, itis best to use at least three players at a time, whoassume positionsaround the under-side of the basket, although practice may beconductedby one or two players .as is obvious.

With. the playerspositioned as indicated and with the basket-cover 14installed on the basket as indicated in Fig. l, the-ball B is put intopractice by the coach or anotherplayer, who throws or tosses it softlytoward the upper end of the basket G and against the back-board S justabove the goal-basket. The ball, then, rebounds to cover 14 and rollsofi its upper surface or it may hit and bounce from thecover 14-but, ineither case, the ball moves or drops naturally from the goal-basket Gtoward the players stationed around the goal-basket G who have assumed ajumping position or stance.

As the ball B drops from the cover 14 over the ring and exteriorly ofthe goal-basket G, the player, toward whom the ball B is dropping, timeshis jump to meet the ball at the highest possible point or elevationthat he can, using one or both hands (as indicated in Fig. l) whicheveris preferred by the individual player, and tips theball B.with the endsof his fingers to cause it to rebound .therefrom properly so that theball moves to a position where it would enter the ring 10 and dropthrough the goal-basket G to score a goal, if the cover 14 were not inposition covering the goal-basket.

Some players like to use only one hand, as indicated at x in Fig. 1,while others prefer to tip the ball with both.

hands as indicated at y; and, some players like to tip the ball againstthe back-board S and cut it into the goalbasket G, as indicated at x,while others prefer to tip the ball into the basket without touching theback-board S, as indicated at y. In either case, with the cover 14 inplace. on the goal-basket G the ball, instead of going through thegoal-basket, will rollott the cover 14 and drop naturally off the rimorring 10 and down. the outer side of the goal-basket toward a player foranother prac-- ticetry for an under-the-goal tipping shot. This allowsthe'players a continuous practice of this important playas 1116 ball Bpasses from. one player to the cover 14 and then .drops toward anotherplayer and so on back and forth.-without the players having to stoop toretrieve the ball .as would 'be the case if the cover 14 was notemployed and the ball passedthrough the basket.

The'drillor practice above outlined has proven to be most efictive indeveloping and maintaining a fine sense of timing in jumping by theplayer to meet the ball and, likewise, a fine sense of feel in hishands, wrists and arms to properly execute, so-called, tippingbasket-ball shots, if used for two to five minutes each day, thusdeveloping and maintaining accuracy and precision in the execution ofsuch tipping shots.

Having described and illustrated the invention and the manner in whichit is to be performed, it is to be understood that modifications andchanges may be made therein which fall within the scope of the appendedclaims' That whichis claimed, as new, is:

1. In a basket-ball practice device for practicing the act of tippinggoals, the combination with a basket-ball goal basket including a rigidring and an open ended flexible sleeve depending from said ring; of adisc-like cover removably supported by said ring and dimensioned tosubstantially fill the area defined by said ring so that a. ball willnot pass through said basket and having an unobstructed upper surface,and means for releasably attaching said 'cover to said ring.

2. A basket-ball device for practicing the act of tipping basket-ballgoals comprising, in combination, a basketball goal basket including arigid ring and an open ended flexible sleeve depending from said ring, adisc-like cover dimensioned to substantially fill the area defined bysaid ring, and means at the peripheral edges of said cover supporting.said cover upon and releasably clamping said' cover to said ring withthe upper surface of said cover positioned relative to the upper surfaceof said ring to allow the ball .to roll therefrom over said ring.

3. In a basket-ball, practice device, the combination with abasket-ballflexible sleeve-like goal basket including a supporting-ring rimming itsupper end, of a rigid flat disc-likecover dimensioned to lie Within andremovably positioned planarly across the upper open end of thesupporting-ring of said basket-ball goal basket to obstruct the passageof a ball through said basket, radially disposedinverted' U-shaped clipsspaced about the peripheral edge of the underside of said cover to fitover and straddle the ring of said basket to support said cover inposition on said basket ring and dimensioned to hold said upper surfaceelevatedslightly at least with respect to said upper. rim of said basketso that a ball may roll freely off said cover and basket withoutobstructing hindrance, and releasable clamp members arranged incooperating position with said clips to bind said cover in position.

References Cited in the file 'of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS

